LOFOTEN OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

DISTANT BEACHES

JULY 23 – 29, 2016

With the sun setting just below the horizon each night, the end of July brings the twilight nights to Lofoten. No longer the midnight sun, and not yet dark, the ‘night’ is one long transition from sunset to sunrise. We will use these long days and glowing nights to explore and camp in some of Lofoten’s best destinations.

This Photography workshop is more than just a tour of Lofoten, it will be a total outdoor experience of the Islands. The heart of this trip will consist of a 4 day – 3 night hiking and camping tour across the wild northern coast of Moskenesøy, where we will take turns watching the sun sink into the sea from sandy beaches and mountain summits.

This is a photography workshop about experiencing the best of wild Lofoten in some of my favorite destinations.

The workshop’s guiding and instruction will be provided by Cody Duncan.

For booking or questions, contact: workshops@codyduncan.com

WORKSHOP DETAILS AND ARRIVAL

Group size: 4 participants + guide

The workshop will officially begin in Leknes at 12:00 on Saturday, July 23 and end in Leknes at 12:00 on Friday, July 29. Please schedule your arrival as close as possible to these times.

Pickup/drop-off will be available at Leknes airport and in the city center.

Accommodation: Our accommodation will be on Vestvågøy, in the heart of Lofoten.

Camping: We will be camping on at least 3 nights during this workshop. Tents and cooking equipment will be provided.

Physical Ability: Moderate to good physical ability is required for this tour. Though none of the planned hikes are overly physically demanding, we will aim to reach several mountain peaks of up to 600 meters in addition to hiking about 20km in total.

Getting to Lofoten: From within Europe, SAS airlines offers travel to Lofoten from a multitude of destinations. From North America, Norwegian airlines offers good value flights to Norway from the west and east coasts, however flights to Lofoten will have to be booked via SAS/Widerøe airlines. For more travel information, see: Getting to Lofoten

PRICING AND BOOKING

Workshop price: ~~2350 Euro~~ TOUR NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Deposit: 650 Euros

The deposit is required to reserve your place on the workshop. Deposit is non refundable. Full payment is due 60 days before workshop.

Payments will be made by bank transfer.

Please note: Before booking any travel to Lofoten, make sure you have paid your deposit for the trip.

For booking or questions, contact: workshops@codyduncan.com

ITINERARY

This is a hiking trip that will require a moderate amount of physical fitness, previous hiking experience, and the ability to carry all your own camping/photography equipment. Each day will consist of some hiking, the longest being approximately 8km, including a mountain pass. On some days we will also attempt to hike to a nearby peak up to 600 meters for some fantastic beach views.

The nature of Lofoten requires a great deal of flexibility to the local weather conditions once on the Islands, which is why I have added a few ‘buffer’ days into the trip. Ideally we can complete the hike in one journey, however, if the weather says otherwise, we will have transport available to split up our planned destinations into two segments if necessary. Accommodation will be reserved for the entire duration of the trip, allowing us the greatest flexibility possible.

On days that we are not hiking/camping, we will visit some of the roadside highlights of Lofoten, including the beaches of Vestvågøy and Flakstadøy. Additionally, we will take in the fantastic views around Reine and Hamnøy.

As this workshop takes place in the height of summer, the northern lights will unfortunately not be visible.

Day 1

Arrival on Lofoten: Saturday, July 23

You will be picked up in early afternoon in Leknes. We will first head to our accommodation to drop off baggage and discuss packing options for the hike.

Days 2 – 5

The Hike

We will be dropped off in Reine, where we will catch the ferry to Kjerkfjord and begin our hike to Horseid beach. This is one of Lofoten’s most wild and secluded destinations, which is among my favorite places on the Islands. We will camp here on the first night.

Leaving Horseid, we will ascend a mountain pass on our way to Selfjord. Weather permitting, we will attempt to camp in the mountains, which leaves us several small peaks as possibilities for sunset/sunrise. Otherwise, if the weather is poor, we will continue to Selfjord, where we have the option of staying at a DNT mountain hut.

From Selfjord, we will be picked up and driven several kilometres to the trailhead for Kvalvika beach, which we will then hike to for the night. Weather and legs permitting, we may attempt a hike to the summit of Ryten for late afternoon and twilight light over the beach.

If we haven’t climbed Ryten on the previous day, we will attempt to do so on our return to Fredvang, where we will be picked up and brought back to our accommodation on Vestvågøy.

Day 6

We will tour some of the highlight of Vestvågøy and beyond.

Day 7

Departing Lofoten: Friday, July 29

The tour will officially end at 12:00 in Leknes. However, all attempts will be made to best accommodate transport to your departing flights or ferry.

WORKSHOP PRICE INCLUDES

Accommodation and Tents – All accommodation on Lofoten as well as tents will be provided. Our accommodation will be reserved for us the entire duration of the trip, giving us the greatest flexibility for making the hike. No single supplement available, tents will be shared between 2 people.

Camping Stove: Cooking equipment will be provided for while on the hike.

All transportation on Lofoten, including Leknes airport pickup and drop-off in passenger van.

Professional photography and location guiding by Cody Duncan.

Complimentary downloads of all Cody’s eBooks prior to the trip.

NOT INCLUDED

Air travel to and from Leknes.

Camping supplies other than tent/cooking: You will be required to have your own backpack and camping gear, including a sleeping bag and sleeping mat. (some sleeping pads available on request)

Meals: We will typically split meal cost among group and cook together.

Insurance: travel insurance is mandatory for this trip. Tour guides and trip organizers will use their best knowledge to keep all participants safe, but will not be held responsible for any personal or equipment injury which might occur. Insurance needs to cover any emergency medical treatment and transport, related to the tour or not, which may occur.

Alcoholic drinks.

Anything else not mentioned as included.

WHAT TO BRING

Photography Gear

You will need a backpack or camera bag which is suitable for multi-day hiking. This means it needs to contain all your camera gear, in addition to all camping supplies and food for up to 4 days. I often utilize a 2 bag system, of a smaller camera bag which fits inside a larger hiking backpack. This allows me to only carry the camera bag when focusing on photography or short trips up nearby peaks.

Camera – Any camera welcome, but a full frame DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual mode will give you the best performance.
Tripod – A light tripod that you are able to take hiking is preferred.
Lenses – A selection of lenses from 14 to 200mm is recommended.
Filters – This is somewhat to shooting style, but I heavily recommend a set of neutral density filters, covering: 3, 6, and 10 stops.
Cable Release – Cable or remote camera release, preferably with ability to lock in bulb mode for long exposures.
Camera Cover – It is likely we will encounter some adverse weather on Lofoten, so you want to be able to cover your camera and keep shooting.
Lens cleaning – Some locations can be exposed to sea spray. I recommend a combination of pre-moistened disposable lens wipes (Zeiss and Nikon make some) and dry cleaning tissues. I find microfiber cloths don’t handle the maritime conditions and quickly become unusable.
Storage – Bring plenty of memory cards to last for multiple days of shooting.
Batteries – Bring enough batteries to last for several days of shooting.

Clothing

The focus of this workshop is the explore Lofoten’s scenic and wild mountains and beaches. While I will do my best to avoid as much bad weather as possible, we will likely end up with rain at some point.

You will need to be fully waterproof (upper and lower) as well as having enough insulation to handle potentially cool, damp conditions. As we will be hiking and camping for consecutive days, you do not want any overly heavy clothing and your rain jacket should be separate from your insulation layer.

Proper hiking footwear prepared for muddy trails is also a requirement for this trip, as we will be spending much of our time away from the road. In addition to good shoes, you will want to have extra socks on hand in case your feet do get wet. I would suggest having 2 pairs per day.

For a detailed clothing list, see my article: What to Wear

ABOUT CODY

Cody Duncan is one of the most experienced photographers living and working on Lofoten today. Since first visiting the Islands as a young backpacker in 2001, he traveled to Lofoten more than 20 times before deciding it was finally time to move there in the winter of 2016.

In 2010 he created the website 68 North to showcase his ever growing Lofoten portfolio which has now become one of the best photography and travel resources available today. In 2015 Cody published the first two photography guides focused on the unique seasonal nature of the Islands, drawing upon his years of experience exploring hidden corners and lonely mountain tops across Lofoten.

Cody was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. Spending many of his early years surfing the cold waters of the Pacific, just down the road from his childhood home. His early 20’s saw him turn his focus to the mountains, soloing numerous 4000+ meter peaks in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. As his photography career developed, he soon found himself spending more time in the wild landscapes and turbulent weather of northern Europe. Cody’s images have been published by: Visit Norway, National Geographic, Men’s Journal, Sunset Magazine, Lonely Planet Magazine, GEO Saison, British Airways High Life, and numerous calendars, travel guides, and more.

Cody now lives on Lofoten.

FINE PRINT

Travel insurance is mandatory. Some providers are: World Nomads, ADAC, Allianz, Medjetassist

Travel insurance needs to cover any medical emergencies or accidents before, during and in transit to the workshop. Any situation which would require you to cancel the tour before or during the trip. Any loss or damage to your luggage or photography equipment.

Deposit is non-refundable.

Any cancelations will be fully refunded (minus deposit) up to 90 days before tour. After that, no refunds are available.

Tour itinerary is subject to change due to any potentially unforeseen circumstances, such as weather cancelations, etc.

If tour itself is cancelled by the operator, then full refunds (including deposit) will be given to all participants.